About dotAccount

dotAccount is an authentication system, built by Segvault, for the websites of the TNY network. It was made with security and good user experience in mind.

With a single account, you can sign in to these websites in a secure way. Life becomes simpler for you: only one set of credentials to manage, only one sign in system to learn, only one account to keep safe. Life becomes simpler for us, too: communications relative to the security of your account are made on a single channel, and in the event of any security problems, only one system needs to be corrected.

Your privacy is protected: when creating an account, the only personal information we ask for is an email address. This email address is for recovering access to your account in case you forget the password or lose the second factor, and so that we can contact you in case a problem with your account is detected. More information about how personal information is handled can be obtained here.

Secure authentication, secure accounts

Authentication is always made over properly implemented HTTPS connections (see the SSL Labs report). Old browsers are not supported in favor of safer encryption cipher suites.

The services you are authenticating against never get to know your password or any other authentication factors that could be used to impersonate you on the dotAccount system.

In addition to the old-fashioned password, accounts can be secured using two-factor authentication. Both email and Google Authenticator (IETF RFC 6238) schemes are supported. In the first, the second factor is sent to the email address corresponding to your account. In the second, you are expected to pair the account with the authenticator app and use the code it displays as second factor. The Google Authenticator method is more secure.

"Security questions" are not supported as account recovery method. These are considered by many security experts to be no better than a second, easier to guess, password.

Good user experience

We tried our best to provide a good user experience while authenticating: forms are simple to fill and concise help text is available where necessary. However, we are not experts, so any suggestions on how to improve the user experience without compromising security are welcome.

Authentication without borders

dotAccount was created out of necessity, primarily focusing on websites of the TNY network. However, dotAccount can work for any website or app. If you are looking for an easy way to authenticate users on your service (website or not), and do not want to force your users into complex and less privacy-conscious solutions like Google Accounts or Facebook login, dotAccount can be the answer.

Contact us for more information on how to integrate dotAccount with your service.

About Segvault

Segvault is a group of people working on next-generation software solutions for the digital world. Our portfolio includes not just websites but also backend projects, from embedded software to server management. More information at our website.